


The Seasons Are Changing

by mc_1



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 05:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mc_1/pseuds/mc_1
Summary: Eleven likes a normal life, it means friends and family and watching the seasons change. There will be some challenges but with friends like hers who needs to be scared of high school, town gossip, or worst of all: adolescence.





	The Seasons Are Changing

El woke with a start. Hair was sticking to the back of her neck with slick sweat. Her head ached, her mouth felt dry and her tongue felt heavy. 

 

It had been another nightmare. Under a thick sheet of black storm clouds, crackling thunder had pierced through the sky with the furious roar of thunder following after it. Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike all stood in an empty field a few feet away from her. One by one the earth crackled beneath them, and tentacles of black smoke twisted around them and pulled them into the ground, down to the other side. First, it had been Will, then Lucas, then Dustin. She had tried to use her powers to save them, thought of ugly, dark things that made her skin feel hot with anger in order to fuel her fire. She felt streams of blood down her face and down her body as she tried desperately to free them. It was no use though. Mike was the last to be grabbed, only he struggled more against the force that was drowning him in earth and dirt. He called out to her, she ran desperately to him screaming his name, all her rage focused on the tendrils that surrounded him. Somehow, the force only got stronger, it only got worse. Her thoughts lingered on the moment she’d killed her papa, hoping desperately this thought of vengeance might make her powers work. Suddenly, Mike was gone, sucked into the earth with the echoes of his screams. El was powerless to save him. 

 

This had been part of a similar series of nightmares she’d been having for weeks. In each one destruction surrounded her with her powerless to stop it. She’d had nightmares before, memories of the lab, or papa. This, however, was another animal altogether, and El felt frightened deep into her core. She didn’t understand these dreams. Didn’t understand why she had them or what they meant. How could she fail every time? She had fought against the Demogorgon, against the mind-flayer, and she’d won against both. But somehow, in her dreams, she was as powerless as she had been in the lab.

 

This thought made El shudder. Her head hurt even more, she felt thirsty. She was sick of thinking so much, she’d spent countless hours and days with nothing but quiet and thought to fill the time. It made her feel ill to remember. Across the room, a little green radio upon a dresser clicked itself on and turned its dials furiously as the needle landed on a certain station. Upbeat rock music began to play, a band El had not yet learned about but nonetheless filled the room with a much-needed replacement for the silence. Despite her headache, El nodded along to the music, trying to distract herself with the rhythm and the lyrics.

 

From outside her door, a voice shouted:

 

“Jane will you turn that damn thing down, I can’t hear myself think!”

 

El started to turn down the volume telekinetically but then remembered what Hopper had talked to her about. She needed to start learning to use her powers less if she was supposed to go out into the regular world. And there was no way she was going to risk not being able to fit into the regular world, especially when tomorrow was her first day of high-school. She walked across the room and used her fingers to turn the little dial. She turned the volume up and down, liking the feeling of twisting the nob between her forefinger and thumb. Little things like this made El’s day, many were amused to discover. 

 

El began to get dressed, sifting through her dresser. Her friends had explained to her that there were different types of school, not just one school. 

 

“High school is sort of the last type of school you can go to,” Mike had explained, “well, besides college.” 

 

“Which is a different, harder school for older kids,” Will had chipped in. 

 

This was all very confusing at first. Dustin helped made things a little clearer though. 

 

“Basically, when you don’t know anything, you go to preschool. When you learn some things, like the alphabet and your how to write your name and shit-“ 

 

“Language!” Hopper had interrupted from another room. 

 

“Yeah! Yeah! Don’t get your underwear in a twist,” El had giggled at this, and Mike had beamed at her, “Again, when you learn some things, you go to elementary school. Once you know a lot of things but people don’t respect your intelligence and start wanting to test your emotional stability, they send you to middle school. If you know a lot or enough not to get held back, you go to high school. After that you go to college and college is basically where you go to get a piece of paper that lets you make a lot of money.” 

 

“Held back?” El had said, worried already because she had only learned how to spell her own name a few months before. 

 

“Yeah, it’s when you do really bad at school and you’re not smart enough to go to the next type of school so they make you stay behind and it’s r-e-a-l-l-y embarrassing-“

 

“Dustin, shut up!” “Shut up man! Gosh!” Mike and Lucas had shouted in unison, “You’re scaring her!” Mike continued, noticing that El was looking pale and stricken. He put a hand on top of hers and said softly, “You don’t have to worry, you’re already smart, you just have- some gaps. Once we fill in those gaps you’ll be ready for high-school.” 

 

El felt warm just thinking about the way he’d looked at her, like she wasn’t weird, like she was already good enough in his eyes. His hand had felt warm and a little sticky pressed against hers, it made her blush. She pulled a white t-shirt over her head and maneuvered her arms into a large, soft cardigan the same color as one of the eyeshadows Nancy had gotten her, sort of pink mixed with brown. El would have to ask her what the name of that color was. Nancy had already taught her the names of a lot of colors. Teal, like her sweater one day. Mustard, like Lucas’s t-shirt with the funny looking robots from Star Wars on them. Navy, like Mike’s jacket that he’d given her to borrow and never asked to have back. El liked all these colors. 

 

In the kitchen, Hopper was sitting at the island, the Sunday paper in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. Eleven liked the smell of coffee in the morning, even though she didn’t like the taste at all. She especially liked it when she could smell it mixed with the smell of the cigarettes Hopper smoked and the smelly stuff he wore. It made her feel warm inside, a feeling she hadn’t been brave enough to ask the meaning of. Hopper didn’t look up as Eleven popped a couple Eggos into the toaster, not moving away until they popped out golden brown. She stuffed them into her cardigan pocket before she poured herself a glass of milk that she downed quickly. She remembered to wash the cup out like Hopper said she should and began to make her way out the door when Hopper’s voice halted her. 

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He neither turned to her nor looked away from his newspaper. 

 

“Mike’s.” She said simply. 

 

“It’s only 9:30, half the house will still be asleep by the time you get there.”

 

“The house-?” El began questioningly. Idioms were still confusing to her. 

 

“I mean Mike will probably still be asleep, and Nancy,” Hopper explained.

 

El paused for a moment, thinking. “If I leave early, less people will see me.”

 

There was a brief stint of silence as Hopper considered this, then sighed. 

 

“Fine, go ahead- but only knock once. If no one answers come straight home,” Hopper was going to say more but the sound of the front door quickly slamming shut halted him. He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. Kids. 

 

Hopper had moved them into a new house. The cabin was too isolated to live in regularly and his own house that he rented he was too afraid to bring El into had the place still been bugged. Instead, they rented a one story ranch on a quiet street near Dustin’s house. It was a cheery, if not somewhat dingy, yellow and was a welcome sight to El, who had known very few homes of her own, and only one that was as welcoming. El walked as quickly as she could to Mike’s house, which was half a mile away, uphill with the rest of the wealthier homes. El didn’t have a bike yet, though Hopper had one he’d boughten and secretly had stashed away in the garage to be given as a first day of school present. He was excited to teach Jane to use it, something he never got the chance to do. In the meantime, El walked, something she didn’t mind doing. She liked the cool morning air and the bright sunlight peeking over the roofs of all the houses. She liked seeing the yellow leaves on the trees and the birds flittering about them. She liked the occasional cat that stalked the bushes and perched atop the fences, staring at her with wide, curious eyes. This was what a normal life was, and El very much liked the way normal life felt as her sneakers gave a delightful squelch every once in a while when they touched the sidewalk. 

 

By the time she reached Mike’s house, she had polished off one and half of her waffles, deciding to save the rest for later, and was in a very good mood. The nightmare she’d awoken from seemed miles away. 

  
She gave a sturdy knock on the door, not wanting to be too loud but also wanting someone to hear her. The door opened and Nancy appeared, looking very fresh looking and pretty in satin pink pajamas. Nancy felt as though she must have looked like a zombie, but El thought she was _lovely_ , a word Joyce had taught her.

 

Nancy smiled sweetly at El, “Hi El, Mike’s up I think,” Nancy called over her shoulder,” Mike, it’s El- oh, Jane!”

  
Almost as quickly as Nancy had said El’s monosyllabic name were Mike’s footsteps heard barreling down the stairs. This elicited a shout from Mr. Wheeler telling Mike to be quiet, something Mike eagerly ignored as he rushed to the front door, his eyes wide and gleaming like twin stars. Nancy struggled to contain the grin that was peaking out from behind her pressed lips. Silently, she made her way to the kitchen on socked feet, leaving the two to be alone.

 

“Morning,” Mike said, smiling shyly at El. She replied back with morning as she stood smiling but waiting awkwardly on the front step. “Oh-oh, sorry. You wanna’ come in?” Mike said, moving out of the way as El nodded and entered into the house.

Mike couldn’t stop staring, somewhat in disbelief that El was in his house, walking around like a normal person. Not that she wasn’t a normal person, he thought, but that she could finally be seen by everyone else like one too. Mike led El down to the basement, ignoring his mother’s calls that she’d made pancakes for breakfast. 

 

Sitting on the couch, their sides pressed together sweetly but awkwardly, Mike talked about the one thing that was on everyone’s minds. 

 

“So, tomorrow’s the first day of school. Are you nervous?” Mike said, flubbing a little when he said _nervous_. He didn’t want to make her feel nervous by asking. 

 

“A little,” El said, “I’ve got this feeling in my stomach, like I’m going to be sick, but not- bad.”

 

“Oh,” Mike said, recognizing the feeling, “You mean you’ve got butterflies in your stomach, me too.”

 

El’s eyes went wide, “Butterflies?”

 

“No,” Mike laughed, “It’s an expression. It means you’re excited.” 

 

El looked relieved, she nodded her head. “H- Dad, got me supplies for school.” 

 

“Yeah, I went shopping with my mom a week ago. I got all this cool Star Wars stuff, do you wanna see?” Mike said excitedly as he went to grab his stuff off the table. He began showing El all of his stuff. Mike and their friends had made sure she’d watched Star Wars, and El nodded happily when she recognized the characters on the binder and folders. 

 

Mike pulled out a pencil case with fuzzy little creatures on it and El grew confused, giving Mike a strange look. Mike looked disgusted at it. “Yeah, I know, I hate Ewoks. But it was the only Star Wars one left and my mom bought it while I wasn’t looking.” 

 

El had only seen the first Star Wars but nodded along mournfully at the awful pencil case. 

 

Mike was happy to show El his things, and he liked that she seemed to like the things he wanted to show her. Most girls thought the things he and his friends liked were weird and nerdy, but El was happy to hear Mike’s long-winded explanations of Dungeons and Dragons lore, and to let him teach her how to play King’s Quest, and to borrow his Choose Your Own Adventure books to help with her reading. Most of all, he liked that when he was with El, he felt like he could be himself. Not just in the same way he could be himself in front of Lucas and Dustin, but in a different way, a more honest way. Although only fourteen years old, and still unsure of how to explain his emotions, Mike knew that what he was feeling was love. It might have been an awkward, sweaty-hand holding, puberty-stricken love, but it was as pure and as deep as the love Han had for Leia.   


As these thoughts ran through Mike’s mind, he felt a stirring in his chest. He looked at El, who was now leafing through one of Mike’s Star Wars books, and suddenly was very aware of how the way her hair framing her face made her look sort of shy and pretty. He noticed how her lip turned up in one corner when she saw something she thought was funny. He noticed how much he wanted to be closer to her, and quickly but slowly he brought himself up next to her, close enough for her to notice that he had moved. She turned to look up at him, and his heart beat heavily when she looked him directly in the eye. Quietly, Mike brought his face closer to El’s, making sure his face was positioned so he wasn’t veering too off to the side. El moved in closer too, feeling the warmth of Mike’s nervous breathing tickling her mouth, it was a warm and pleasant feeling. With all the delicacy and ardency of a boy much older and more expected of such tender and attentive mien, Mike closed the distance between themselves and pressed his lips to El’s. 

There was a quiet, gentle moment as their lips touched, where the stillness of their breath allowed for the pounding of their hearts to be heard in mutual cacophony. El took a breath and Mike instinctively pressed closer, his lips moving against hers gently but eagerly. El began to feel the butterflies once again. Mike, feeling bold, put his arms, which had been resting at his sides, around El. It was the first time that he had held her so closely, and the feeling it gave him made him kiss harder. El giggled and pulled away slightly, unused to the odd feeling that could only be described as a young, awkward display of passion. To keep Mike from feeling embarrassed, as well as to keep him kissing her, she pushed her lips into his eagerly, though much more softly. They smiled into the kisses and giggled between breaths. Mike was about to press his lips to hers again when he heard shocked gasps. 

 

Mike and El both looked up in surprise as Nancy, Jonathan, and Will stood on the staircase leading down to the basement. Nancy's face was plastered with a shocked grin, Jonathan’s own amused smile matching hers as they looked to one another in shared surprise. Will’s face was as red as a cherry tomato, his eyes darting away as soon as they met Mike’s. 

 

Nancy was the first to rather gleefully break the awkward silence, “Jonathan and I are going to the record store. But if you guys need a chaperone, we can always stay behind and keep you guys out of trouble.”

 

“Shut up, Nancy!” Mike growled, his face teeming with embarrassment. 

 

El did not think it was the right time to ask what a chaperone was. 

 

“Awe, leave them alone, Nancy,” Jonathan said sympathetically. 

 

Nancy was trying desperately to contain her laughter, “Okay, okay. Well, have fun guys,” she said, looking to her brother, El, and Will as she turned around to head back up the stairs. “But not too much fun,” she added, running up the stairs as Mike chewed her out. Jonathan’s chest shook with barely concealed laughter as he nodded and gave a reassuring smile to Mike, feeling both sorry and proud of him the way he might have if they had caught Will kissing a girl. He gave Will a comforting pat on the shoulder as he turned and followed Nancy. 

 

Will, El, and Mike didn’t move an inch as the three of them looked to one another, unsure of what they were supposed to do next. 

 

El gave an obviously fake cough, making Mike look at her in confusion as to when she picked up on when to do that. He almost laughed. Will looked at the two of them and carefully ventured. 

 

“Do you guys want to see the new X-Men comic I got?” 

 

Mike nodded his head, “Sure.”

 

Will descended the stairs slowly as Mike and El moved further apart, though not too far. Will sat himself down on the chair beside the couch and pulled his X-Men comic out of his backpack. Will handed the comic over to Mike, his eyes having a hard time directly meeting his. 

Mike looked it over and started leafing through the pages, “Cool,” his voice cracked. Mike turned a pale shade of red as Will and El looked awkwardly at him. 

 

That day was the start of some important changes. 


End file.
